Euro 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes true great with Portugal win

Cristiano Ronaldo wept tears of despair then tears of joy as the Euro 2016 final took him on an emotional journey from his lowest low to the high of lifting Portugal's first major trophy.

The 31-year-old Real Madrid superstar carried his country's hopes into the final against hosts France in Paris not only as Portugal's captain but also the player who posed the greatest threat to Didier Deschamps' side.

It looked like all the aspirations of Ronaldo and Portugal would be shattered when he was taken off on a stretcher after 25 minutes following two attempts to battle through a knee injury sustained in a seventh-minute collision with France's West Ham United midfielder Dimitri Payet.

The agony

Ronaldo's focus was obvious from the moment he walked out into the warm summer sunshine at Stade de France late on Sunday evening.

He closed his eyes as he sang the national anthem with feeling - although even his normally smooth appearance was disrupted during his pre-match routine when he had to bat away several of the moths that invaded the stadium.

He had made a quiet start when the incident that changed his match took place in the 17th minute, Payet getting a touch on the ball before crashing into Ronaldo, catching the Portuguese's left knee with his right knee.

The sight of Ronaldo rolling around while banging the turf did not receive instant or unanimous sympathy given previous histrionics but it quickly became apparent he had sustained a significant problem.

He received lengthy treatment on the pitch and returned to the action, albeit clearly in reduced circumstances. He made one run but not at any pace, waving a hand in the direction of the bench to signal he was struggling.

The leader

Ronaldo's reputation is not that of a selfless personality who puts team before himself - indeed he has often been accused of selfishness and petulance in dealing with his Portugal team-mates.

Euro 2016 has seen him gesturing tetchily at colleagues who have not lived up to his own high standards, but here he took on the role of inspirational leader when it was required.

Ronaldo's stature and influence, even when out of the action, came into play at the end of 90 minutes.

Footage has emerged of him encouraging a reluctant Joao Moutinho to take a penalty in the quarter-final shootout win against Poland, and here he played the role of inspiration at a crucial time.

Ronaldo marched purposefully out of the tunnel and out on to the pitch, walking among Portugal's players urging them to one last effort, one that would end with the greatest moment in their country's football history.